The Way Home
by MintiNeko
Summary: He's leaving again. But this time you will follow, fulfilling the promises you made to him and to yourself so long ago. This time 'thank you' doesn't mean 'good-bye'.


This fic here doubles as a birthday gift to both Uchiha Sasuke (who is fictional, alas) and Agent Kell (who isn't).

Happy birthday to both!

**Disclaimer: **I will never own Naruto

**The Way Home**

* * *

_It's a crescent moon tonight, and the irony just about kills you._

_Three years ago, on a night very much like this one, you, Haruno Sakura, tried and failed to persuade the traitor, Uchiha Sasuke, to stay with you here in Konoha. You promised to do anything for him, all out of love, promised to follow him to the ends of the earth._

_Tonight, you will fulfill that promise._

* * *

The Hokage peers over her steepled fingers at the dark-haired young man in front of her. You stand besides your master's desk, watching your love's blank expression. Naruto wasn't allowed in—they were afraid that should the ruling prove unfavorable, he would be unable to control himself. Secretly, you wonder why you are here then; surely your temper is considerably worse, but you didn't push the subject.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade's eyes glance down at the document in front of her, "Under Konoha law you have been declared a traitor, very dangerous, with connections to both Sound and the Akatsuki—"

No matter how closely you watch his face, nothing appears on the blankness of his visage. You wish she could touch him, run your fingers through his hair, give him _any_ kind of comfort, the way you did when they were younger.

"—By all accounts, you should be put to death." Tsunade casts him a shrewish glance, and for the first time since he has been in here, Sasuke shows a vestige of discomfort.

"However," she continues, "Due to your cooperation and willingness to divulge information from your recent alliances, I believe that we won't have to resort to such measures."

Relief fills you from head to foot, and you can see Sasuke relax minutely.

"Unfortunately, this places us in a bit of a dilemma. The elders are furious that I won't propose your execution—" You sees Sasuke's back stiffen and his eyes momentarily flash Sharingan red in fury, and wish you knew what had happened to make Sasuke react so violently just to the mere mention of them, "—that I can ignore. However, they also point out that having you among Konoha's population, after so recently being part of the Akatsuki invasion…would not do well for the morale and trust this village need to stay united. Here, they have a point. And yet I cannot lock such a powerful shinobi, such a valuable asset, away."

Tsunade takes a breath, and with a heart that threatens to burst out of your chest, you listen.

"There will be at least two years before we can rage outright war against the Akatsuki. As you may have heard, Jiraiya—" here her voice cracks a little, and you see the visible effort her mentor takes to pull herself together, "—was recently killed, and so we no longer have any outside source to feed us information on the Akatsuki's whereabouts. You are a very observant young man, Uchiha, judging from the details you have divulged to us. If you accept, you will take his place as our source, and when the time comes for open warfare, you will return to fight for us. Should you betray us, you will die a traitor's death."

That is her preposition, and you can almost see your surprise mirrored in Sasuke's face, but not quite. It's a good plan, and has many more advantages that Tsunade has not voiced, such as keeping a(nother) Akatsuki target safely out of Konoha, keeping more ANBU on duty instead of baby-sitting, and keeping Sasuke safely away from the elders.

"Well, Uchiha?" Tsunade prods, studying him, head tilted just slightly to the side, scrutinizing.

There is a moment's pause, and slowly, very slowly, Sasuke inclines his head towards her.

"I accept your offer, Hokage-sama."

The suffix comes as a surprise to you; during your visits to his cell he had said not a word, and you had assumed he had kept his former attitude towards authority. Tsunade is also surprised, but does not allow it to show. Instead, she reminds him that it will be his last chance and orders the ANBU guards to take him away until it is time and to let no one see him until then. Sasuke puts up no resistance, but as they grab him, he turns his head so that his gaze meets yours.

For that one moment, your heart stops as you look into his eyes, the almost-questioning gaze, before the contact breaks and you are handed the familiar sight of the back of his head.

You know what you must do.

* * *

_You pack lightly; just the essentials. Very much like for an ordinary mission. Healing balms, a change of clothes, medicines; you don't miss a thing._

_In all honesty, you are terrified out of your wits. What if you misinterpreted that look? What if it was just wistful thinking? After all, it's been years since you really knew him—and even then, you didn't know much. _

_But your heart won't let you rest. You have a promise to fulfill and a nindo to see through. And nothing will get in your way._

* * *

Immediately after Sasuke's 'sentencing', you head straight for Naruto's apartment, knowing the way by heart. You knock hard on the door without pausing, nearly hitting Naruto when he finally opens the door.

"Ne, Sakura-chan!" The blond dodges the misaimed fist and looks at you with curiosity in his bright cerulean eyes. "Are you trying to break down my door or something?"

You don't waste breath with trivialities. "Sasuke-kun's going away again," his eyes widen, and he steps aside to let you in the apartment. It's as messy as ever, and you opt to sit at the kitchen table; he slides into the seat across from you.

"Why?" he asks, and you explain about Tsunade's refusal to keep him useless, how the situation will help prove his loyalty to the village and try very hard to not mention Jiraiya-sama, since those wounds are still only half-healed and there is no way you want them to reopen.

As you thought, Naruto throws a fit. You smile, a little painfully, at the expected display, and at how well it concedes with your own hidden thoughts.

"Yes, Naruto. He has two years to collect information and prove his loyalty to Konoha. Starting tonight."

"Can't I at least see him?"

"No one is allowed."

Naruto scoffs in anger. "Well that's stupid. What's wrong with old friends just saying good bye?"

"The cost of property damage." Naruto lets out a surprised bark of laughter, and you feel yourself smile, even though it's a little strained.

"You got me there." He sighs. "But we've only had him for, what, less than two weeks? It's not fair." You open your mouth to comfort him, but find you can't say anything.

You almost want to laugh. You came here to tell one of your closest friends that you plan to leave with the boy you both have been chasing for three years, and you find the words blocked up in your throat. Even though you plan to return—hell, the only reason you even _thought_ of going was to make sure that he will return—it's beginning to feel like déjà vu. Except this time, it will be Naruto left who will be left behind. Sasuke might have a home to return to, and you—

You don't know what will change with you. You will still train, still wait for the years to pass, but what else? Play housekeeper? Remain passive?

You don't know.

"But still, two years?"

"It was the best plan she could think of," you tell him, always sticking up for your teacher who trained you and taught you and made you stronger than you had ever been before.

Naruto sighs, and reluctantly sits back down, staring at you earnestly.

"I know, but it's too much…" he hesitates, "…too much like last time. He's going away too soon. What if…we're not enough?" You wince at hearing the thoughts you've been thinking voiced aloud, feel the old wounds in your heart ache.

"We will be." you say, with absolute conviction.

_I will make sure of it._

He looks at you funny for a moment, almost sees straight through you, before his face splits into one of his trademark grins, letting you know with a wave of relief that he _knows_, and he understands.

"I think so too. No—I _know_ so. But two years is still a long time." he chuckles, "I might be Hokage by then; at least, that's what baa-chan says. She wants me to start training with her."

_You were always the most persuasive, Sakura-chan. Make sure the bastard comes home._

You laugh. "I'm glad you're happy, Naruto."

_I'll make sure he won't destroy it again._

"Are you?"

You are hesitant to answer. You know he's not asking about your current state of affairs, but what is to come.

"…Probably." You smile again, though not much feeling is behind it, "He'll come back."

"I hope so." Naruto seems pensive for a moment, but he smiles at you again, a little sadly, and repeats himself. "I hope so."

You leave his apartment a little while later, feeling your heart ache just a little more at how much you will miss him.

Looking up into the sky, you estimate that you have at least a good few hours before the sun sets, and another few hours before you will have to leave.

You wait.

* * *

_It's time._

_Slipping on your backpack, you take one last look around your room, memorizing the sight of it. You leave through the window, landing soundlessly on the ground below._

_It's a quiet night, and you see no one on the streets. No shopkeepers, no troublemakers; no one._

_You set off for that familiar way out of the village, passing by the old playground, Ichiraku's, and other familiar sights. You hesitate as you pass the old bench, wondering for a minute if you'll end up back on it, but quickly brush such thoughts away._

_The gates are in sight._

* * *

You manage to pass through without drawing the attention of the guards to you, looking straight ahead and following that one chakra signature that you know better than your own.

You can feel Sasuke stop once you both are well out of sight of the village. There is an expectant quality to his chakra, like he is waiting. You are not surprised, but feel relief that you weren't wrong and you aren't going to make a fool of yourself.

You can finally see him, standing silhouetted by the moon; waiting for you. You quicken your pace and soon you are right in front of him, looking up so that you can see his face. Again, you are struck with how different he looks. It's not so much a matter of being very different physically (though he has matured quite nicely in that direction) but of his expressions and the movements of his body. He lacks the arrogant edge of their younger days, and seems more prone to deep thought. He moves more fluidly now, the tight control less prevalent.

But when he looks down at you, you see that for the most part, his eyes remain the same. They are still dark and unreadable and give you butterflies and make you lose your train of thought.

"Shall we go?" You ask, pulling up the hood of your cloak and indicating the road in front of you. He doesn't say anything, and rather than waiting for an answer, you turn and start to lead the way.

"Sakura…" You freeze at the sound of your name from his lips, and for a moment you are horribly reminded of _that night_ so long ago. But you turn to face him, to remind yourself that this isn't the past, it's the present, and things are different.

"Yes?"

"...Thank you." You can feel tears prickle at the corner of your eyes, but this time he's not leaving you behind, and this time, you _know_ why he's thanking you.

"We should be going," You can feel him lightly pull down your hood as he passes you, briefly stroking the silky strands. You smile, feeling a familiar blush beginning to rise, and you follow.

Long ago, you promised that you would do anything for him to help him.

_Now, you fulfill that promise to him by keeping him on the right path._

Long ago, you swore to yourself that you would bring him home.

_Now, you will._

You will always follow him, you will always help him, in any way you can. You still love your friendship, you love _him_, and you will do anything for him.

You will help him come home.

* * *

Eh…didn't especially like the ending. And this was my first time working in second person, and in that respect I don't think it turned out too badly.

Well, I for one think that there could be potential for this to happen at some point in the series, but it's unlikely. Fun to dream, though.

Review please!


End file.
